Part 4

When answering in the imitative voice, the breath must be _held back, and expelled very slowly, and the voice will come in a subdued and muffled manner_, little above a whisper, but so as to be well distinguished. To cause the supposed voice to come nearer by degrees, call loudly, and say, “I want you down here!” or words to that effect; _at the same time make a motion downwards with your hands_. Hold some conversation with the voice, and cause it to say, “I am coming,” or “Here I am,” each time indicating the descent with the hand.

Let the voice, at every supposed step, roll, as it were, by degrees, _from the pharynx more into the cavity of the mouth_, and at each supposed step _contracting the opening of the mouth_, until the lips are drawn up as if you were whistling. By so doing, the cavity of the mouth will be very much enlarged. This will cause the voice _to be obscured, and so to appear_ to come nearer by degrees. At the same time care must be taken not to articulate the consonant sounds plainly, as that would cause the disarrangement of the lips and cavity of the mouth; and in all _imitation voices_ the consonants must scarcely be articulated at all, _especially if the ventriloquist faces the audience_. For example, suppose the imitative voice is made to say, “Mind what you are doing, you bad boy,” it must be spoken as if it were written, “ind ot you’re doing, you ’ad whoy.” (It is rarely a ventriloquist shows a full face to his audience, unless at a great distance from them. It would help to destroy the illusion if the jaws were seen to move.) This kind of articulation is made by forming the words in the pharynx, and then sending them out of the mouth by sudden expulsions of the breath clean from the lungs at every word. This is often illustrated by a ventriloquist pretending to talk to a man on the roof.

4.--POLYPHONIC IMITATIONS.

Mr. Love, the great polyphonist, delighted in his youth to imitate the buzzing of insects and the cries of animals. Such accomplishments are easily acquired, and we think if our young boy friends will follow our directions, they will acquire at least polyphonic powers to amuse their friends at home and abroad.

To imitate a “tormenting bee,” a boy must use considerable pressure on his chest, as if he was about to groan suddenly, but instead of which the sound must be confined and prolonged in the throat; the greater the pressure, the higher will be the faint note produced, and which will perfectly resemble the buzzing of the bee or wasp. In all imitations of insect noises, the bee should be heard to hum gently at first, so as in a private party not to attract attention till the right pitch is obtained. The sound will penetrate every corner of a large room. To assist the illusion, the person imitating a bee should pretend to try to catch the insect. To imitate the buzzing of a blue-bottle fly, it will be necessary for the sound to be made with the lips instead of the throat: this is done by closing the lips very tight, except at one corner, where a small aperture is left; fill that cheek full of wind, but not the other, then slowly blow or force the wind contained in the cheek out of the aperture; if this is done properly, it will cause a sound exactly like the buzzing of a blue-bottle fly.

To make the above perfectly effective, the person imitating a fly or bee, should turn his face to the wall; with a handkerchief strike at the pretended bee or fly, at the same time pretend to follow his victim, first this way and then that, and finally to “dab” his pocket handkerchief on the wall, as though he had killed it; the sound should be at times suddenly louder and then softer, which will make it appear as it is heard in different parts of the room.

“The Spectre Carpenter.” The noise caused by planing and sawing wood we often hear imitated. Yet but few boys know how easily it is done. Much amusement is often caused by this imitation. To imitate planing, a boy must stand at a table a little distance from the audience, and appear to take hold of a plane and push it forward; the sound, as of a plane, is made as though you were dwelling on the last part of the word _hash_. Dwell upon the _sh_ a little, _tsh_, and then clip it short by causing the tongue to close with the palate, then over again. Letters will not carry the peculiar sound of sawing; but any bright boy, by carefully listening to the sound made by carpenters, with these suggestions, can, with practice, imitate the sound perfectly. To make the deception more perfect, put some shavings in your pocket to sprinkle as you pretend to saw, also a piece of wood to fall when the sawing is ended. A friend of ours told us of a negro, well known as a famous whistler about the streets of Boston years ago, who would place both hands tightly over his ears, incline his head downwards, and imitate with great precision a music-box; but he said it pained him to do this.

5.--TO IMITATE AN ECHO.

It is impossible for a ventriloquist to produce an echo in a room of ordinary size, as the walls, being so near, would cause the sounds to be blended, and would only produce one impression on the ear; and yet a skilful ventriloquist can with ease imitate, in a room, a mountain echo. We will give the instructions, as it is very amusing.

Turn your back to the listeners; whistle loud several short, quick notes, just as if you were whistling to a dog; then as quick as possible, after the last note, and as softly and subdued as possible to be heard, whistle about a third the number of notes, but it must be in the _same note or pitch_; this will cause the last whistle to appear just like an echo at a great distance. This imitation, if well done, causes much surprise to those listening. The same thing can be done by shouting any sentence, such as, “Halloa, you, there!” or, “Ship, ahoy!” Let your voice be formed close to the lips; then quickly, and in the _same pitch or note_, speak the same words very subdued, and formed at the back of the mouth. This is very simple, yet effective.

6.--CONCLUDING REMARKS.

“Any person acquainted with the voices before described, may imitate many others by _contraction and expansion of the glottis, and by modifications of the cavity of the pharynx and mouth_. The best way to practise is in a room alone, to talk aloud, and, while so doing, to make all sorts of _contortions with the muscles of the mouth and jaws, first fixing the jaws_ in the manner already described, _then drawing the lips inward, next putting them forward, at the same time placing the tongue in different shapes and positions in the mouth_; also by speaking in the natural voice, and answering in the _falsetto pitch_, which is the imitating voice for women and children.”

The ordinary compass of a voice is about twelve notes, and a very good practice to the attainment of the art is to call aloud in a certain note, _and then in the octave to that note_; do this several times a day, changing the note or pitch, loud at first, and by degrees decrease the sounds; this kind of practice will assist any one in learning to modulate the voice to appear to recede or come near by degrees.

We think enough has been said to enable _any boy_, sufficiently persevering, to become a good ventriloquist. “Always remember, that to _render a voice perspective, the most essential thing is to attend to the study of sound as it falls upon an ear; then imitate that sound by the different contractions and expansions of the muscles of the throat, mouth, face, and jaws_. During these various contractions and expansions, draw in a long breath, and talk, first rapidly, then slowly, but always with a _slow expiration of breath_. Do this a dozen times consecutively for several days, at the same time _elevate and depress the roof of the mouth_, especially the back part, as this movement causes the voice to appear near or at a distance.”

We have now given our young friends the best practical directions we could obtain from the rules given by a skilful ventriloquist. All boys who have faithfully followed our directions, should try their powers before some friend. We think they will be astonished at their success, and will be pleased to become a source of great amusement to their friends as well as themselves. But beware, boys, of _misusing_ your power; always remember the “golden rule,” and never frighten any person seriously.

Ventriloquism was well known, even before Christ; but it was used only as a means to foster superstition, and often took the form of divination. The statue of Memnon will instantly suggest itself as a familiar example. The gigantic head was heard to speak the moment the sun’s rays glanced on its features. Undoubtedly the magic words were pronounced by the attendant priest, who must have been a ventriloquist. We could give innumerable instances of its use among the ancients; but we will close with an amusing anecdote we once heard of a famous ventriloquist. He was passing through a street with a friend, at the same time a load of hay was passing along. The ventriloquist called the attention of his friend and others passing along to the suffocating cries of a man in the centre of the hay. A crowd gathered round and stopped the astonished carter, and demanded why he was carrying a fellow-creature in his hay. The complaints and cries of the suffocated man now became fainter, and he appeared to be dying. The crowd, instantly proceeded to unload the hay into the street, the smothered voice urging them to make haste. The feelings of the people may be imagined, when the cart was found empty. The ventriloquist and his friend walked off, laughing at the unexpected result of their trick.

=NATURAL MAGIC.=

The Æolian Harp consists of an oblong box of thin deal board, about five or six inches deep, with a circle drawn in the middle of the upper side, an inch and a half in diameter, around which are to be drilled small holes. Along the upper side of the box seven, ten, or more small strings, of very fine gut, are stretched over bridges near each end, like the bridges of a violin, and tightened or relaxed with screw pins. The strings must be tuned to one and the same note, and the instrument placed in some current of air where the wind can pass over its strings with freedom. A window, the width of which is exactly equal to the length of the harp, with the sash just raised to give the air admission, is a good situation. When the wind blows upon the strings, with various degrees of force, different musical tones will be sounded; sometimes the blast brings out all the tones in full concert, and sometimes it sinks them to the softest murmur. In many old castles these harps were fastened in the windows, and their wild music caused the ignorant to think they were haunted.

A colossal imitation of the instrument just described was invented at Milan, in 1786, by Abbate Gattoni. He stretched seven strong iron wires, tuned to the notes of the gamut, from the top of a tower sixty feet high, to the house of a Signor Muscate, who was interested in the success of the experiment and this apparatus, called the giant’s harp, in blowing weather, yielded lengthened peals of harmonious music. In a storm this music was sometimes heard at the distance of several miles.

Simply tying waxed saddler’s silk to little sticks, and pushing them into the crevices of windows, so as to receive a draught of wind (the silk being strained tight), will produce very sweet sounds.

1.--THE MAGIC OF ACOUSTICS.

The science of acoustics furnished the ancient sorcerers with some of their most complete deceptions. The imitation of thunder in their subterranean temples did not fail to indicate the presence of a supernatural agent. The golden virgins, whose ravishing voices resounded through the temple of Delphos; the stone from the river Pactolus, where trumpet notes scared the robber from the treasure which it guarded; the speaking head, which uttered its oracular responses at Lesbos; and the vocal statue of Memnon, which began at the break of day to accost the rising sun, were all deceptions derived from science, and from a diligent observation of the phenomena of nature.

2.--TO SHOW HOW SOUND TRAVELS THROUGH A SOLID.

Take a long piece of wood, such as the handle of a broom, place a watch at one end, apply your ear to the other, and the ticking will be distinctly heard.

3.--THEORY OF THE VOICE.

Provide a species of whistle common as a child’s toy, or a sportsman’s call, in the form of a hollow cylinder, about three fourths of an inch in diameter, closed at both ends by flat circular plates with holes in their centres. Hold this toy between the teeth and the lips; blow through it, and you can produce sounds, varying in pitch with the force with which you blow. If the air be cautiously graduated, all the sounds within the compass of a double octave may be produced from it, and if great precaution be taken in the management of the breath even deeper tones may be brought out. This simple instrument or toy, has indeed the greatest resemblance to the larynx, which is the organ of the voice.

4.--A SINGULAR EXAMPLE OF SUPERSTITION.

The following _true story_ was related to me by one who was personally acquainted with the facts. There was a certain bend in one of our western rivers which was avoided by every one, as it was supposed to be haunted by the devil. At a certain hour in the evening, for many years, terrible curses were distinctly heard. Suddenly they ceased. A gentleman skilled in the science of acoustics, hearing an account of the strange phenomena, determined to ascertain the cause, and carefully examined the river on each side for about a mile above and below the bend. He ascertained that at about the time the sounds ceased, an old fisherman, who had lived on the opposite side of the river, full a mile from the spot where the curses were heard, had died. He was told that the fisherman was in the habit of crossing the river to a village, where he found a market for his fish, and where he spent his money for liquor; and that after drinking freely on his way home, while rowing across the river at night, he would swear terribly. This gentleman then persuaded a friend to go down the river to the place where the curses were formerly heard, while he remained in a boat on the river at the point at which the old man usually crossed. He then played on a bugle and sang several songs. His friend soon returned, and with eager delight exclaimed, “O, ----, such glorious music fills the air, just where the curses used to be heard!” The neighbors came rushing down to hear it, and some fell on their knees, praying. They said, “the angels have driven the devil away.” Mr. ---- then asked what were the songs they heard. His friend described them correctly, and said he understood even the words, one of them being the famous Marseillaise, another a German song; the foreign words made the ignorant more sure that the sounds were supernatural. Mr. ---- then played on the bugle, and sang again the same songs, while his friend stood by; but his friend said the music was not equal to that he had heard below, where the sounds had really seemed heavenly.

The peculiar configuration of the river banks had concentrated the sounds, and the distance and the water had softened them.

The person who related this anecdote to me said that he and his friend had often tried the experiment. Nothing would convince the more ignorant neighbors that the sounds were occasioned by merely natural causes. A love of the supernatural is strong within us, and sometimes leads us into grave mistakes.

=GARDENING, FLOWERS.=

We, as a nation, are not a happy, home-loving people. The “spirit of unrest” pervades all classes.

This enterprising, uneasy spirit, has been, and is of benefit to us, as a comparatively new country, in settling and breaking our wild western lands.

But the time has come when it is well to curb that spirit, and cultivate all quiet, home-loving influences.

Therefore we beseech you, parents, to begin in earliest infancy to cultivate a love of the beautiful in nature; give your little ones flowers; and as soon as they are able to play in the garden, give them a little spot of their own to dig in; and when they can understand the process, give them seeds to plant, and some few flowers to cultivate. We can tell you of a happy cottage home, where the children, from earliest infancy, have lived among flowers. Each had their tiny garden, with spade, hoe, trowel, and watering-pot. The father and mother would also assist with their own hands in training vines, roses, and shrubs, in artistic beauty. The good father never went to his counting-room without some flowers in his hand, or in the button-hole of his coat, the valued gift from the tiny garden of one of his darlings. Years passed and fortune favored them, but they never would exchange their cottage home, with its vines, trees, and shrubs, for all the stately mansions in the town. And as the daughters married, and the sons left to seek their fortunes, they would look back with intense longing to their loved home; and joyous were their meetings around the home Christmas tree.

On Sundays they always, even in midwinter, ornamented their social table with flowers, for they are God’s smiles. Therefore, my friends, we speak from observation, and from seeing the effect of an opposite course. If you wish to lessen your doctor’s bill, and give the beauty of robust health and happiness to your children, girls or boys, give them a garden, and let them plant, weed, and water it. If your children bring you even a simple field daisy, express your pleasure to them, and let them not see you cast it aside.

A well cared for garden displays--and displays to good advantage too--the love of home, domestic taste, a wish to please, industry, neatness, taste, and all the sweet household virtues that create a _happy_ home.

Horticulture confines itself to no rank, and it may form the amusement or the pursuit alike of great and small, rich and poor; only the kind of garden we choose, and what we do with it, must depend on our circumstances.

Teach your boys the use of a pruning-knife, and how to graft; then give them some trees to experiment upon. You may save them from dissipation, by giving them a taste for horticulture. It is a happy, health-giving employment.

Decorate even your barn with graceful vines. The poorest house can be made an agreeable place by transplanting a few of the many simple wild vines. It is not natural to love intensely a stiff, ungainly object.

We have often thought, as we have roamed about the farming districts of New England, and have seen the many great, stiff, square houses, with not a graceful tree or flower to relieve their nakedness (though now and then a syringa, or lilac bush, or cinnamon rose, and perhaps a stately old butternut, may be seen), the sons and daughters of those households will surely emigrate. Utility is our hobby. Some farmers think it waste time to plant a flower, as it yields no fruit.

Remember the old saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” You that dwell in a city, strive to have a small spot in the country to which you may send your children in summer, to roam at will. We heard a little child, in urging her mother to go into the country in vain, cry out, “It is too, _too bad_, mamma. We know God did not make the city for little children, because he loves us.”

Do not waste your money at fashionable watering-places. Even in early years, take your children to the woods and let them see nature in its wild state. There is nothing like a day in the woods for refreshing us all, in body and mind. The wild music of running brooks is so lulling, the birds carol their “native wood-notes wild” so sweetly, the strange blended odor of the damp mould, the leaves, the wild flowers, and the prospect of the distant meadow, are so delightful; the play of the sunlight through the dense foliage, and on the sylvan walks, is so beautiful, and the quiet is so marked, after the hum and roar of a city, that the mind is tranquillized, and both you and your children will be nearer to God, and nearer to one another, for every hour thus spent. Our whole country is full of wild beauty. Spend your spare money in decorating your homes with trees, flowers, and shrubs. The influence upon your children will be far more beneficial.

If your children wish for money to purchase seeds and flowers for their gardens, if possible, give it cheerfully. It is far better so spent, than in dress and toys. Let them plan their own gardens, and experiment as much as they please. A very pretty fence can be made round such gardens by a number of stakes of equal lengths, pointed at one end to drive into the ground, square at the top, and painted green. Then place them at equal distances around your garden, and bore holes about six or seven inches apart for the twine, which should be brown linen. Pass the twine through the holes, in lines all around the garden. Plant vines which run rapidly, such as Cypress Vine, Madeira Vine, Nasturtium, Maurandya, Barclayanna, Dwarf Convolvulus, Mountain Fringe, &c. By midsummer your simple fence will be very beautiful.

Having spent many years in cultivating flowers, perhaps a few practical directions from our own experience may be of service to our readers. And we will give some excellent suggestions taken from a famous florist.

1.--HOW TO PLANT SEEDS.

We often think, because the seed we plant does not germinate, that we have purchased poor seed, when the fault is in the manner of planting.